GOLF DIGEST:GIRLS' BRITISH OPEN: Irish teenage star Lisa Maguire failed in her bid to lift the Girls' British Open title at Royal Belfast yesterday but can still feel proud of her performance throughout the week.
The 15-year-old Curtis Cup player from Slieve Russell was not at her best, going down by 3 and 2 in the semi-finals to French champion Alexandra Bonetti, who went on to lift the crown with an emphatic success against Italian Laura Sedda.
Maguire, the leading amateur in the AIB Irish Open, now heads for Wales with her twin sister Leona for next week’s British Open stroke-play championship.
In the other semi-final Sedda beat Spaniard Andrea Villarasau. Bonnetti clinched the title with a convincing 7 and 6 victory over Sedda.
BRITISH BOYS' CHAMPIONSHIP: Irish teenagers Dermot McElroy and Jeff Hopkins are through to the quarter-finals of the British Boys Open Championship at Kilmarnock (Barassie) after a tense day of competition.
Hopkins recorded two nail-biting last green victories, first over Warwickshire’s Jamie Rutherford and then over David Blick of Devon. He now faces France’s Stanislas Gautier this morning for a place in the last four.
McElroy, a 17-year-old from Ballymena battled with fellow Irish international Alex Gleeson in the morning, eventually winning 2 and 1 before overcoming Ewan Scott from St Andrews on the home green after a titanic struggle. He is now through to a meeting with German Aaron Leitmannstetter this morning.
MEN'S HOME INTERNATIONALS: Ireland finished with the wooden spoon in the Home International Championship at Ashburnham in South Wales yesterday for the second successive year after being overwhelmed by Scotland.
To be fair to the Irish the 11-4 scoreline was somewhat flattering to Scotland as they gained five of their points on the home green.
The Scots laid the foundations for their success in winning the foursomes 3½-1½. England thrashed Wales also by an 11-4 margin to retain their title, leaving the hosts in third overall.
BRITISH SENIORS' AMATEUR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP: Ulster man Garth McGimpsey finished a highly-creditable third on the Old Course at Walton Heath yesterday after three solid rounds.
A closing 73 gave the former Walker Cup captain and 1985 Amateur champion a 54-hole aggregate of 215, one under par, to end up seven strokes adrift of winner Paul Simson who won by five from fellow American Chip Lutz.
McGimpsey had rounds of 70, 72 and 73 and hardly put a foot wrong, striking the ball well and chipping and putting accurately.
Cork’s Tom Cleary finished joint fifth on 220 while Portmarnock’s Adrian Morrow and Michael Quirk of Doneraile were two strokes further back.
Arthur Pierse fell away badly with an 82 yesterday for a 231 aggregate.
